One Of Those Days
by Sean Montgomery
Summary: Ladies, have you ever had one of those days? Kaoru has one now, and Kenshin will do all he can to see her smiling again. One shot.


Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin, it's characters and plot do not belong to me, but the brilliant Nobuhiro Watsuki. I do own the whole anime tv show on DVD, though. But you'll have to pry that out of my cold, dead fingers. ;)

Notes: I didn't feel like this story was finished. It missed something, in my opinion, and I felt like a peek into Kaoru's world would do it. So... here it is. Tell me what you think!

"{ - means thought.

List of Japanese terms:

Koishii - Term used from the husband to the wife (darling, beloved, etc.)

Anata - Same as above, except from the wife to the husband

Baka - idiot, stupid

Oro - you can't be part of the Kenshin world and not know what this means...

Gomen - Sorry

Gomen Nasai - I'm very sorry

Warnings: Mushiness and fluff. So fluffy you could sleep on it as a pillow. I'm dead serious. And there might be the teeniest spoiler for the third Arc (not Revenge, but the animated Arc) in a little line. Just in case. And this is short too. Really short. We're talkin' four pages short. Shortest thing I've ever written short.

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One Of Those Days

By Sean Montgomery

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Kenshin glanced back at the dojo for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon and frowned. Something was wrong with Kaoru. She seemed somewhat agitated, or maybe flat out annoyed. He had only seen her a few times in passing since she came back from her lessons in Tokyo, but her lack of conversation and quiet nature wasn't her. Not that she couldn't be quiet or thoughtful sometimes, but he just couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, and that bothered him much more than the dust pile that he had collected in front of him. She just wasn't acting like herself today. He, above anyone else, should know better. It worried him that his wife seemed to be brooding so deeply today.

But the dust pile needed to be taken care of...

Plan in mind, Kenshin took the broom and swept the pile of dust over to the dojo doorway, intentionally sweeping more than what was necessary and pretending not to look inside to check on his wife. He knew she hated to be interrupted, especially when she was teaching a class, but he just couldn't help himself. He wanted to make sure she was all right, and he wanted his Kaoru back. Or happy, at least. Anything but how she was at the moment.

Using the fall of his red hair as a distraction, Kenshin glanced inside the training hall and searched for the familiar form of his wife. He spotted her almost instantly, her voice ringing through the broad hall while she gave instructions to the students. She was giving an example, he could see, but the lack of total energy in her steps gave her away. Something was wrong. He wasn't sure if the students knew about it, but he was sure they'd say something about it among each other later.

"Oh, Kenshin?"

His head snapped up, a slight blush forming when he realized he was caught. "Oro?"

"Is there something wrong?"

He smiled, thinking just then that he was ready to ask her the same question. "Nothing at all. Just finishing the sweeping, that I am."

Kaoru, sticking a hand on her hip, glared at him suddenly. "Then why are you sweeping over here? You know I hate to be disrupted, and you're distracting the students."

His eyes slightly widened. "Gomen nasai, Koishii. I meant no harm, that I didn't. I'll go back to doing the laundry now."

"You do that."

Kenshin turned his back on the training hall, the sound of his wife's powerful voice telling her students to pay attention again and to ignore others outside echoing through the dojo. When he glanced back at her, she seemed to have gone back to hiding something, the energy once again lacking in her teachings. He gave a defeated sigh. If not now, then later he was going to find out what was wrong.

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Kaoru watched the last of the students head out onto the street. Giving a somewhat defeated sigh, she briskly walked back into the dojo and pulled out her sleeping yukata, fully intent on sleeping the day away once she got out of her bath. Those Tokyo brats. Yahiko used to be one of them, but it seemed all of them took influence on her former student. Maybe she should go and make him do a few swings just for punishment - or maybe old times sake.

"{There's no reason,}" she thought. "{He wasn't in the group. After all, you should be used to half-hearted students. You've already had one of them. Except now it's a class full of them.}"

Fifty students - the number still shocked her - had agreed to learn the Kamiya Kasshin style almost a year ago when she had announced she would go into town to do lessons. The first day they seemed to be ready, fully intent on learning a style that would protect their families in the future and bring justice into their homes.

Much like Yahiko had been before he found it didn't fully involve swords.

They all were mini-Yahikos, really. The thought, while enough to make her somewhat woozy with the notion, was nothing more than ego building. Yahiko had grown to be a handsome young man who was intent on guarding his family with the sword that protects. These students seemed to be more intent on when they could get home to dinner.

"{Maybe I'm judging them too hard,}" she thought. "{After all, they are just kids. Young boys tend to think more with their stomachs than their heads.}"

She searched the grounds and the hallways of the dojo before rushing over to the bath house and quickly closing the door. As long as Kenshin didn't notice how much things where bothering her, she would be okay.

She rolled her eyes. Really, the whole thing shouldn't be bothering her. She should just take it quietly and hope the next day would be better.

She began undressing as negative thoughts overwhelmed her. Maybe they did think her odd, a woman teaching a fighting style when she should be at home cooking dinner for her husband instead of the other way around. In all honesty, it was an odd thought. Women just didn't do these kind of things. How could she help it though? Her father has raised her to be a boy, passing on the fighting style he was so proud of. Maybe it was just his fault that she was as different as she was.

She shook her head, part in denial and getting the water she poured over herself off her face. Of course not! He taught her with pride! She was more than willing to learn the fighting style. She did learn to put up with bullies after all...

But maybe that was what made her so tomboyish. She did prefer to be in a training outfit instead of a kimono, but she did own a few of those. Nice ones, in her opinion. As nice as she and her husband could afford. At least he had no real opinion about how she was. At least, she thought he didn't...

The bath water was already steaming when she opened the door. Kaoru could hear him putting more logs under the fire. She quietly closed the door behind her, aching to get into the water so she would stop shivering.

"Is it warm enough?" Kenshin asked suddenly. She smiled at the thought of her being so quiet that he couldn't hear her, knowing full well that he would.

"It is." she said quietly, trying to hide her discontentment and failing.

He never said anything more, though. A part of her was sad about that. Maybe if she did talk to someone instead of bottling her emotions like she was she wouldn't be thinking so negatively. Then again, she didn't have any person to really talk to until Kenshin showed up at the dojo a while back. Maybe she was just depressed.

Depressed. Was that how she really was, a person who seemed bright and cheery on the outside but was broken and overwhelmed inside?

Taking a deep breath, she dunked her head under water, hoping her thoughts would melt away faster than the tears that began streaming down her face.

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Discovering what was wrong proved to be much more difficult than it sounded.

His Kaoru was a very stubborn woman. He easily knew that the day he first met her. And when determined to do something, either refusing to talk about something or saving someone's life, she could be borderline impossible. Kenshin knew very well he had the power to sway her - the same thing went for him when it came to her - but he didn't feel the need to pry. Kaoru would tell him when she felt ready.

He used to think he had an incredible amount of patience. Today, he couldn't figure out where it had disappeared to.

Scrubbing one of Kaoru's kimonos, his brow furrowed as his thoughts deepened. What on earth could it be? Could one of her students be slacking in his practices, or maybe could she be upset at - gulp! - him? He hadn't done anything all day besides the chores, and he did those properly as far as he knew. Maybe it was something in the laundry. His hands stopped moving in the basin. He had ripped one of her ribbons the other day. Could that be it? It wasn't one of her favorites...

"{Will you stop already?}" he screamed at himself. "{If the problem is bugging you so much, you should ask her about it!}"

Kaoru needed to be taken care of. Sitting around doing the laundry wasn't going to solve anything. Releasing the kimono from his gentle hold, he stood and removing the string that bound his gi and walked toward the dojo hallway. He didn't know immediately where she was, but he could look, and he'd search all day if he had to. He turned another corner and noticed steam rising from one of the windows of the bath house. He mentally slapped himself in the head.

Of course she'd be bathing right now. After teaching two classes she always took a bath. It was a daily routine for her. He suddenly became mildly embarrassed when he remembered that he had prepared the bath for her only a few moments earlier. Releasing a sigh, he gave a determined look at the bath house.

"{ I won't allow you to live in misery for too much longer, Koishii.}" he promised. "{When you come out, I'll find out what's wrong.}"

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She ended up coming out of the bath house much sooner than he had expected. That didn't matter to him. As soon as he saw her enter their bedroom to change, he dropped a piece of clothing into the basket and walked straight toward the slightly open door, sliding it open and shut in a fluid movement. Kaoru, startled at the sudden intrusion, tied the sash tighter around her waist and turned around, trying to get into some kind of fighting style in the yukata. When she saw it was Kenshin, she relaxed immediately.

"You scared me." she breathed, putting her hand on her heart.

"Gomen. I had no intention of doing so." he said, his gaze intent yet apologetic. "I had hoped to be able to talk to you."

"About what?" she said almost dismissive, walking to the other side of the room to brush her hair. She never made it. Kenshin had already walked over to her and held her arm before she could go very far. She glanced up at him, irritation clear in her gaze.

"Something's bothering you. It has been all day, that it has."

"And why would you care?"

His forehead creased. "Why would I-? Why would you ask something like that?"

"Because you don't need to be concerned with everything! You worry too much."

Ignoring the small swell of frustration building inside of him, he figured out right then that something was indeed very wrong and fighting would only increase her desire to not talk. He took a deep breath and watched her grab a brush, stroking it irritably through her hair. He waited for a few moments before walking over and gently holding onto her wrist, stopping her movements. Her hand clutched the brush tighter, the only sign she showed of discomfort.

"I told you once," he began softly. "That I was more concerned about the smile that was gone from your face than I was about the sight gone from my eyes. What makes you think that just because I can see you now means my feelings have changed?"

Through her ebony tresses, he could see her eyes close slowly. "Don't you have laundry to do?" she whispered, her resolve breaking with every gentle word and touch.

He released her hand and gently moved her chin so he could see her face. "Do you honestly think that a pile of wet clothing is more important to me than you are?"

Her eyes clamped shut. The last barrier had been broken. Kaoru willingly dropped the brush and wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling into his shoulder while tears began to fall. Kenshin merely held her, a hand stroking her wet hair as he waited for an answer that he had been searching for all day. Her sobs tore at him, the lacking knowledge of why they came unbearable to him.

"Have I done something to hurt you?" he asked quietly, placing a kiss on her hair and forehead. As her tears fell, she shook her head slowly. Kenshin felt himself relax, but his curiosity was still there.

"Then why have you been so distant today? Why did you look so upset and down?" His face became somewhat timid as he thought through his next question, wondering if it was wise to ask, "I don't mean to pry at all, but it is that time of month?"

Kaoru growled. "Kenshin!"

"Now, now, I was just wondering!" he quickly answered, hoping to change her current attitude that gave him his answer without words. "But if it isn't that.... than what is it?"

Through the worn cloth of this gi, he could feel her slight smile. Full relief washed over him. "Are you really that worried about it?"

"I've been wondering all day. It seemed to start after you got back from one of your training sessions in Tokyo, but I don't really have any idea if it's related."

She pulled back a little but continued to stare at his gi. "Kenshin..." she gave a small sigh and plopped her head back onto his chest. "I'm just having one of those days."

Eyebrows twitched upward in confusion. "Oro?"

"How do I explain it...?" she paused. "It's just been one of those days where it seems like the world is against you and you can't do anything about it. Like everything is going wrong at the exact worst moment it could, even if it isn't that bad."

His hand came up and lightly stroked her wet hair to the nape of her neck. "And this has been happening today?"

She gave another sigh, this one more tired. "Yeah. It has."

His eyes turning apologetic, he gently put his arms around her and held her tightly. Her lack of response worried him at first ('Wrong move?', he asked himself. 'Does she need her space?') until her arms went around him.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what to do on a day like this," he said quietly, his voice rumbling in her ear. "But if it's worth anything at all, I'm always proud of you and who you are. Even if the world is against you, I would still be by your side."

"That's worth something." she said with a smile, holding onto him a little tighter.

"And I'll always love you, Koishii."

"That's always worth something." she laughed, reveling in the feel of his arms and the gentle warmth of his smile by her ear. He never rushed her along. He allowed her to rest in his embrace, allowed her to breathe and let the day fall away with every passing minute. With every little thing whispered to her, she could feel her 'one of those days' day slip into oblivion where it belonged, as far as she was concerned. "I love you too."

It was there they stayed for a while longer until Kaoru convinced Kenshin that she was going to be fine. With a small smile and a kiss to her forehead, he walked - almost ran; he did, after all, leave the laundry undone and in the basin - to finish his earlier chore. Kaoru stayed inside the doorway and watched as he picked up the material and gave it a glance, smiling at his disapproving expression and nearly chuckling when he began scrubbing at it again. But then the action caused her to think, and her heart began to swell with love for her Rurouni so deeply she had to stop herself from running over to him and knocking him into the basin from the force of her hug.

He cared for his chores. He loved doing his chores. He did everything with excellence and gave his heart and soul into it. Everything. Including loving her. Like the clothing he was washing, he could care to make sure she was in her best condition and would never think of putting her elsewhere. His concern was genuine and heartfelt, his love from the soul. She gave his back a bright smile, her day suddenly better, brighter. In fact, she couldn't even remember how it had started.

Unwillingly tearing her eyes away from his form, she turned to go back into their bedroom, the smile still clinging to her face. She had heard the phrase, 'Everything looks better in the morning'. If it got any better than this, she thought with a chuckle, she couldn't wait to fall asleep.

The End.


End file.
